The US Special Envoy on Iran Robert Malley said Wednesday that if Iran continues to insist that the International Atomic Energy Agency end a probe of mysterious traces of uranium, there will be no possibility of a return to the nuclear deal.
Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 News in New York, Malley said that Iran “resurrected” an unrelated dispute with the UN’s nuclear watchdog — involving its investigation of traces of uranium found at undeclared sites — in its most recent response to a European Union proposal to revive the 2015 pact.
“Either Iran resolves it by cooperating with the IAEA or it won’t be resolved,” Malley said. “If that’s the position that Iran sticks to, there can’t be a deal.”
Last month, the EU put forward a “final” draft of the agreement to return to the nuclear deal. Iran and the US then took turns responding to the text, with Washington calling Iran’s latest reply a step “backward.”
